Possible Secondarily Terrestrial Lifestyle in the European Phytosaur Nicrosaurus Kapffi (late Triassic, Norian): a Preliminary Study
نویسنده
چکیده
–The Late Triassic (Norian) phytosaurs Nicrosaurus kapffi and Mystriosuchus planirostris appear at about the same time in central Europe. Both have very distinctive snout shapes and are thought to occupy different ecological niches. The depositional environment and post-cranial morphology suggest a secondarily terrestrial lifestyle for Nicrosaurus. Some phytosaurs might have exploited coastal habits based on fossils occuring in saline water deposits, whereas most are found in fresh to brackish water deposits.
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